Quotes from Stephen R. Covey

Knowing that we are responsible—"response-able"—is fundamental to effectiveness and to every other habit of effectiveness we will discuss.

My money will be my servant, not my master

We've painstakingly climbed the "ladder of success" rung by rung—the diploma, the late nights, the promotions—only to discover as we reached the top rung that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.

If we are not careful to daily drink of the 'living waters,' we can easily and slowly become strangers to the Lord and his ways and to our own divine identity and purpose.

Nuestra conducta es una función de nuestras decisiones, no de nuestras condiciones. Podemos subordinar los sentimientos a los valores. Tenemos la iniciativa y la responsabilidad de hacer que las cosas sucedan.

efectividad reside en el equilibrio, en lo que denomino el equilibrio P/CP. «P» es la producción de los resultados deseados, los huevos de oro. «CP» es la capacidad de producción, la aptitud o el medio que produce los huevos de oro.

The history of the world teaches that the power of joy in people doesn't come in getting, it always comes in giving, contributing, adding more. The more you give, the more you live. If you're about something better, live for something higher than self.

The difference between people who exercise initiative and those who don't is literally the difference between night and day. I'm not talking about a 25 to 50 percent difference in effectiveness; I'm talking about a 5000-plus percent difference, particularly if they are smart, aware, and sensitive to others.

no enterprise can become or remain truly great without a core set of principles to preserve, to build upon, to serve as an anchor, to provide guidance in the face of an ever-changing world. At the same time, no company can remain great without stimulating progress—change, renewal, improvement, and the pursuit of BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).

If two people have the same opinion, one is unnecessary.

if we wanted to change the situation, we first had to change ourselves. And to change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions.

Positive personality traits, while often essential for success, constitute secondary greatness. To focus on personality before character is to try to grow the leaves without the roots

It's not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us. Of course, things can hurt us physically or economically and can cause sorrow. But our character, our basic identity, does not have to be hurt at all. In fact, our most difficult experiences become the crucibles that forge our character and develop the internal powers, the freedom to handle difficult circumstances in the future and to inspire others to do so as well.

Principles are the territory. Values are maps. When we value correct principles, we have truth—a knowledge of things as they are.

many people break themselves against. This principle can be easily understood by remembering Aesop's fable of the goose and the golden egg. This fable is the story of a poor farmer who one

No somos seres humanos que tienen una experiencia espiritual. Somos seres espirituales que tienen una experiencia humana».

Between stimulus and response is our greatest power—the freedom to choose.

Integrity is walk our talk

To not say the unkind or critical thing, particularly when provoked and/or fatigued, is a supreme kind of self-mastery.

there are times to teach and times not to teach.

Benjamin Franklin's autobiography

Many people with secondary greatness—that is, social recognition for their talents—lack primary greatness or goodness in their character. Sooner or later, you'll see this in every long-term relationship they have, whether it is with a business associate, a spouse, a friend, or a teenage child going through an identity crisis. It is character that communicates most eloquently.

Things were going to get worse before they got better, and everyone knew it.

he periodically set aside an entire week to unplug for reading and reflection, a Think Week. He also developed a penchant for reading biographies; at one point he told Brent Schlender of Fortune, "It's amazing how some people develop during their lives